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Russian authorities spent several months planning to assassinate exiled opposition figures Garry Kasparov and Ilya Ponomaryov while they were in the United States
Attributed to Spanish newspaper El Mundo
Searches found that the claim is accurately attributed to El Mundo. Meduza, The Moscow Times, Novaya Gazeta Europe, New Voice of Ukraine, RBC-Ukraine, Nasha Niva and others all report that El Mundo published it around 30 Sept 2026. They say Russian intelligence-linked operatives planned to kill Kasparov and Ponomarev in the US. According to the reports, US authorities warned Kasparov this summer and gave him a security detail. The person tasked with the Ponomarev plot reportedly backed out. The outlets also mention a related plot in Vilnius, possibly targeting Kara-Murza, and name defendants including Yury and Kirill Khrameev, two Cuban nationals and a Venezuelan. All of this coverage relays El Mundo's reporting, which rests on sources. I did not read the El Mundo original, and I found no official US or Russian confirmation. I also found no Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat or EUvsDisinfo fact-check of this claim.
Archived copy of the evidence (Wayback Machine)The attribution to El Mundo is confirmed, but the underlying allegation comes only from El Mundo's sourced reporting, which other outlets repeat. I found no independent corroboration, official confirmation or fact-check of the plot itself.
Little or no independent corroboration was found - this reflects the current state of public evidence, not a guess.
Oct 1, 2026, 10:34 AM UTC
UnverifiedInitial assessment.
First observed Oct 1, 2026, 10:34 AM UTC · Last reviewed Nov 9, 2026, 10:30 AM UTC